Agency Alliance Scores Boehringer Mannheim Win By Scott Hum

CHICAGO - An alliance between full-service advertising agency Grant/Jacoby and promotion agency August, Bishop & Meier, both Chicago, has yielded its fir

The agencies’ plan is for the Boehringer assignment – trade advertising and in-store materials supporting the introduction of a blood glucose monitor – to be only the first of several joint new-business pursuits.
‘Our intention is to be a seamless resource for clients,’ said G/J senior vp John Willie. ‘It’s easier for clients to look to one place for marketing communications to keep a continuity through advertising and promotion. But that’s not always possible.’
Grant/Jacoby at one time had an in-house promotion department, but because it wasn’t used by all clients, it wasn’t financially viable, said agency chairman Bruce Carlson. Using freelancers wasn’t the answer, either, he said.
‘As a promotion agency, we’re always in turf battles with ad agencies,’ said AB&M president Norm August. ‘We’re under suspicion that we’re trying to pull dollars away from them or undermine them. What’s different and right about this relationship is that our agencies have chosen to work together.’
John Akins, Boehringer retail marketing manager, admitted the company initially was skeptical about the joint pitch. ‘We wondered whether we’d be getting one agency but paying for two,’ he said. ‘But we asked the finalists in the review to cost out the project and Grant/Jacoby and AB&M were very competitive.’
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)